Do Over
Do you ever feel like you need a do over? Like things just aren’t heading the direction you wanted? And in your mind, things would be better if you could just start over. Unfortunately, for many of us, life doesn’t work like that. We can’t just pick up and leave behind the things of our past that we carry around. We can’t leave our jobs or houses… So how can we have a new start?
Abram, who was one of the great fathers of our faith, could understand how we may be feeling. He spent his life trying to be faithful to God and God promised to bless him. And he was blessed with wealth and land, but he still had his missteps. He had run-ins with the Pharaoh and impatience over God’s timing to give him an heir… Yet his belief in what God could do was unwavering. His faithfulness was counted as righteousness. And after a lifetime, when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.” (Genesis 17:1-7)
At 99, God set Abram on a new path. To be the father of many nations. Even with all of his baggage. Maybe that’s where you are. Feeling the weight of the past and looking for a fresh start. Sidewalk Prophets sums up those feelings this way:
There's a place deep inside of me no one else has ever seen and I fight to keep the light from reaching the darkness within me. I've been holding onto secrets that I can never tell. Cause if I did, then you'd know that I was really someone else. Can you forgive, will you forget all these wrongs and make me whole again. (Sidewalk Prophets, All Things New).
The wonderful reality for us is that God is still making new things. He is still making new paths. Maybe we need a fresh start to grow our faith this year. The practical steps for that are called a Rule of Life. It’s a support structure to help us grow up and abide in Christ. Centered around a love for God, one’s Rule of Life "helps or to put into perspective the various areas of our lives like work, rest, relationships, and prayer" (Peter Scarzzero). It is only through constant and persistent steps toward God that we can have that fresh start we have been looking for. The truth for us all is that
[He] restore[s] the broken, [He] heal[s] the sinner's heart. [He] make[s] all things new, all things new. On the cross [His] love was spoken, [He] even wore the scars. To make all things new, all things new (Sidewalk Prophets, All Things New).
It’s never too late for a fresh start… So why not start today?
Abram, who was one of the great fathers of our faith, could understand how we may be feeling. He spent his life trying to be faithful to God and God promised to bless him. And he was blessed with wealth and land, but he still had his missteps. He had run-ins with the Pharaoh and impatience over God’s timing to give him an heir… Yet his belief in what God could do was unwavering. His faithfulness was counted as righteousness. And after a lifetime, when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.” (Genesis 17:1-7)
At 99, God set Abram on a new path. To be the father of many nations. Even with all of his baggage. Maybe that’s where you are. Feeling the weight of the past and looking for a fresh start. Sidewalk Prophets sums up those feelings this way:
There's a place deep inside of me no one else has ever seen and I fight to keep the light from reaching the darkness within me. I've been holding onto secrets that I can never tell. Cause if I did, then you'd know that I was really someone else. Can you forgive, will you forget all these wrongs and make me whole again. (Sidewalk Prophets, All Things New).
The wonderful reality for us is that God is still making new things. He is still making new paths. Maybe we need a fresh start to grow our faith this year. The practical steps for that are called a Rule of Life. It’s a support structure to help us grow up and abide in Christ. Centered around a love for God, one’s Rule of Life "helps or to put into perspective the various areas of our lives like work, rest, relationships, and prayer" (Peter Scarzzero). It is only through constant and persistent steps toward God that we can have that fresh start we have been looking for. The truth for us all is that
[He] restore[s] the broken, [He] heal[s] the sinner's heart. [He] make[s] all things new, all things new. On the cross [His] love was spoken, [He] even wore the scars. To make all things new, all things new (Sidewalk Prophets, All Things New).
It’s never too late for a fresh start… So why not start today?
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